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Residents sue over L.A.’s crumbling infrastructure

by Patt Morrison

The pothole on Wilshire Boulevard that destroyed KPCC reporter Sanden Totten's front passenger side tire. It has since been filled. But thousands of other holes are still marking up the roads in Los Angeles.KPCC / Sanden Totten

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Have you noticed more potholes on Los Angeles roads recently? Have you had trouble with ancient decaying water pipes? Yes? You are not alone. The city’s infrastructure is crumbling at the same time the L.A. City Council continues to approve new condos, office towers, and retail developments.

And the city isn’t telling the rest of us that there are enough roads and water pipes and electrical cables to support all that growth. So some residents are suing the city for not coming clean on the details. Two attorneys on the case are taking the case to the courts. The city attorney, Carmen Trutanich, argues that the annual report requirement is a suggestion, not a mandate. If the city had the money, it can do that report; otherwise, he says, it doesn’t need to. The suit wants the city to stop all new development until those infrastructure reports come out again.

WEIGH IN:

How many new developments can the city infrastructure sustain? What information should the city be required to make public?

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About Patt Morrison

Patt Morrison is a live two-hour public affairs show. The program is known for its innovative discussions of local politics and culture, and for its presentation of national and world news as it affects Southern California.